Till Death Do Us Part
by sarabethloves
Summary: Planning a wedding is a challenge for everyone, but planning a wedding with a fiance who is a stubborn and opinionated former state alchemist is almost impossible. Winry Rockbell is quickly beginning to realize that marrying Edward Elric is not going to be as easy as she thought it would be.
1. Chapter 1

**Aw, yesss. Finally figured out a good idea for an Edwin multi-chapter fic! The summary makes it sound kind of angsty, but I promise it's not! This story will have lots of love, laughs, arguments, tears, and I'm so excited to see where it goes :) Hope you guys like it!**

"Aaaa-choo!" Winry Rockbell sneezed and sniffled as she tinkered with a piece of automail. The sickness that had plagued her for the past week didn't seem like it was leaving any time soon, despite the amount of work the young engineering protégé had in front of her. As much as she wanted to cuddle up in her bed and sleep until she felt better, she knew she had to continue working.

"Go to bed, Winry," Pinako Rockbell told her granddaughter for the umpteenth time as she entered the basement/automail workshop.

"I've already told you Granny, I can't. Mr. Harris needs his new leg fitted by tomorrow. I have to finish this in time."

"If it's that much of a time crunch, I can handle it until you get better. Even so, I'm sure Mr. Harris would understand if you got to his leg a little later than expected."

"You just don't get it, Granny. I need to do this."

"No, you need to take care of yourself instead of working yourself silly. You're never going to get better if you don't give your body the chance to heal itself."

Winry knew her grandmother was right and it probably wasn't exactly _urgent _that she finish this leg on time, but she couldn't stop herself from doing the job her customers expected of her as quickly as possible.

Plus, there was one other teeny-tiny reason she wanted to finish as much work as quickly as possible.

A certain golden-haired and golden-eyed former state alchemist was scheduled to arrive back in Resembool in two days and she was not going to spend his short visit home working on her automail projects.

This particular visit was even more special than a usual visit from Ed would be. This would be the first time Winry would see him after their promise at the train station. He had been in the West for almost four months now and, despite the fact that he had improved his ability to communicate via mail and phone, they hadn't talked about the specifics of what was said all those months ago.

Winry only had one question for him and she needed him to give her a definitive answer. Were they or were they not engaged to be married?

It had seemed like a proposal, as wacky as it was. Winry had promised to give her life (well, at least 85% of it) to Edward Elric and he in turn promised her the same. That meant they were engaged, right?

Though all the signs pointed to it being an engagement, Ed's usual quirky, roundabout manner was making her think twice. He had never given her a confirmation and with Ed, there could be no telling what he really meant.

So that's why she was anticipating this particular visit more so than any other. She needed to know if she was going to be a married woman soon and, if she was, they needed to get started on the planning.

But of course she had to get the nasty cold that had been floating around the southern area of Amestris right before Ed was supposed to come home. She was unable to finish all the work she said she would have done by the time his train arrived. She had planned out every day of the short week he had said he would be here before he flitted off to the West again and now all of that was ruined. Winry cursed her body for doing this to her.

Despite her grandmother's protests, Winry had taken a bunch of medicine and plowed through her work even though she felt awful. She worked the rest of the day and then all of the next day completing her automail projects. Pinako had warned her that wasn't a good idea, but she hadn't listened.

And, like always, her grandmother had been right.

"What happened?" she wondered aloud as she sat hunched over the toilet in the upstairs bathroom, her grandmother standing behind her, holding her hair back.

"I told you this would happen. You pushed yourself too hard before you got better and then you got worse."

"But I can't be sick! Ed's coming today and I have to talk to him," she said before she heaved her stomach contents into the toilet.

"Winry, he's going to be here for a week. You'll have plenty of chances to talk to him about all that."

"But I had so much stuff planned for us to do. I was going to pick him up at the train station and it was going to be all romantic and cute and now I can hardly even stand up," she said miserably, as she weakly walked back to her bed with the aide of her grandmother.

"Well, you should've thought about that before you worked yourself silly. Only you are to blame for this."

"No, this damn sickness is to blame. God, this is the worst time for this to happen!" Winry moaned as she laid down on her bed and prayed to anyone who would listen that she would get better.

"Don't be so dramatic, dear. You'll get better. And Ed will understand. If he loves you as much as I think he does, he won't care that you're sick."

That comment caused Winry to turn even more red than she already was from the sickness. The thought of Ed loving her the way she loved him was new and exciting and she still hadn't quite gotten used to the idea.

"Here, take this," Pinako said as she poured a spoonful of medicine and gave it to Winry for her to take.

"What is it?"

"It's medicine, of course. It'll knock you out real good so that you can sleep away all this."

"But, what about Ed?"

"Quit your worrying, Winry. I'll go pick up Ed from the train station while you're asleep and explain everything to him. You just need to focus on getting better."

Winry looked defeated as she reluctantly took the spoonful of medicine and flopped back down on the bed.

Pinako watched this and shook her head. Her granddaughter was sure head over heals for that little pipsqueak.

"Don't worry, dear. He'll still be here when you wake up."

* * *

"Hello there, short stuff. Good to see you again."

"Granny, how many times do I have to tell you to stop calling me short?" Edward Elric asked angrily as he exited the train and walked up to his adoptive grandmother.

"Why would I do that when it's true?"

Ed glared down at her. "Hey, I'm not that short anymore, Granny."

"Eh, maybe by your standards."

Ed sighed at this and then finally noticed that a very important person was missing. He looked around at the rest of the small station for her and then turned back to Pinako. "Where's Winry?"

"Ugh, I swear you two never shut up about each other. She's at home."

"But, why?" he asked, the hint of disappointment clearly evident in his voice.

"I'll explain on the way. Get your things and let's go."

After they exited the train station and began the walk home, Pinako explained the situation with Winry.

"Wait, she's sick?"

"Yes, Ed, were you not listening to a word I just said?" Pinako replied irritably.

"No, I did, I guess I just never imagined that Winry could get sick."

Pinako scoffed at that. "She's not invincible, Ed."

"I know that, I just never pictured her getting sick," he said defensively.

"Well, she is. She's probably passed out in bed right now after the medicine I gave her."

"Oh, okay," Ed said before looking down sadly. Pinako didn't fail to catch this show of disappointment.

"What's the matter, pipsqueak? Were you planning on having a little conversation with my granddaughter when you got home?" she asked her old friend's son slyly.

Ed immediately blushed and became flustered at her question. "No! I mean…sort of. I mean…I just…um…wanted to give her…something."

This peaked Pinako's interest. "Oh? What kind of something?"

"Just…something," Ed said, thoroughly embarrassed.

Pinako wasn't an idiot. She knew exactly what Ed was referring to. They walked up to the house together and entered through the front door. Den ran up to Ed and gave him a slobbery welcome before Ed placed his coat and suitcase in the living room. He looked toward the stairs nervously and shyly told Pinako that he was going to check on Winry.

Before he ascended the stairs, she caught his arm and stopped him. "Don't screw this one up, pipsqueak."

"Uh…yeah," Ed said with a shy smile before he walked up the stairs. Pinako could only shake her head at him. She had better get a start on the wedding preparations.

* * *

Ed stood outside of Winry's door for a few moments, thinking over what he was going to do. Granny Pinako had said that she was probably going to be passed out so it wasn't like he could actually talk to her. But he knew he just couldn't keep his surprise in any longer.

He made up his mind and opened the door, stepping inside before closing it behind him. Pinako was right. She was conked out on her bed, quietly snoring away. Ed smiled at how cute she looked.

It had been four months since his clumsy declaration at the train station. He had had a lot of time to think about what it all meant and what he wanted from his relationship with Winry. He had made his decision a few weeks earlier when he purchased his surprise gift at a family-owned Cretian jewelry store.

He pulled the ring out of his pocket and opened the small box. He stared at the simple, yet beautiful diamond and knew that now, more than ever, he was sure he wanted Winry Rockbell to be his wife.

It just made sense. He and Winry had been a team since they were little, always looking out for each other and helping each other. She had been the one to literally get him on two feet again after he almost lost everything. She had cared for he and his brother too many times to even count. She was quirky and outspoken and determined and beautiful and everything he could possibly want in a wife.

He knew he wasn't very good at expressing things like that out loud, but he felt them nonetheless. Maybe it was easier for him to do this while she was still asleep.

"Hey, Win," he said softly to his childhood best friend's sleeping form. "I know this is dumb because you're not awake but I would probably screw this up if I did it to you any other way," he took a quick pause before he continued on, knowing that he probably looked and sounded ridiculous but he was going to go with it anyway. "I'm sorry I kind of screwed up the proposal at the train station but I hope you can forgive me. I love you and I can't wait to marry you," he said softly before he took the ring from the box and slowly slipped it onto her finger. It fit like a glove and looked like it should have been there all along.

"I know you're probably going to kick my ass when you wake up with a diamond ring on your finger so I'm just going to apologize now. Get better for me, okay?" He told her before he sucked in a breath and decided to be somewhat bold for once in his life. He leaned over and placed a chaste kiss on her forehead. His cheeks burned red, but he smiled nonetheless and left her to rest alone in peace.

_She is going to freak when she wakes up_.

**Oh, Ed. Can't trust him with anything, can you? Let me know if you guys like it and want to see it continued! Also, I'm posting this on my tumblr as well where I post other fma related things so if you want to follow me my url name is the same as my fanfic name, sarabethloves . tumblr . com (minus spaces!). **


	2. Chapter 2

**Oh this story is so much fun to write! Thank you to everyone who reviewed, favorited, or followed this story. Your positive feedback is so encouraging and motivating. Hope you like the next chapter!**

It had felt like Winry had slept an eternity when she finally woke up from her medicine-induced slumber. She felt groggy and gross, but all in all she felt better. It seemed finally taking her grandmother's advice had paid off. A long, deep sleep had certainly helped her recuperate slightly which, considering the state she was in when she first took the medicine, was a step up.

Winry blinked and looked around her room. The sun was slowly rising over the hills, which meant that she had been asleep since the previous afternoon, well over twelve hours.

Winry went to rub her weary eyes with her hand, but when she did, she felt an unfamiliar piece of metal against her skin. She looked down at her hand in confusion until she saw it.

A diamond ring.

Her eyes widened in shock. Though her brain was foggy, she knew enough about what had happened the day before to know that Ed was home from Creta by now and, unless her grandmother had been planning on giving her a secret diamond ring, it had come from him.

And that meant only one thing.

"ED!" she screamed loudly and angrily to where she knew he would hear her no matter where he was in the house. She waited a few minutes as her mind reeled with the possibilities the expensive jewel resting on her finger brought with it. Finally, she heard cautious footsteps approach her door.

_That idiot _she thought to herself.

Slowly Winry's door opened to reveal Edward Elric guiltily smiling, knowing exactly the reason she had called for him.

"Get your ass in here," she said sharply, leaving no room for argument. He moved quickly at her command, closing the door behind him and coming to stand next to the bed.

"Uh…hey, Win," he said as he nervously rubbed the back of his neck.

"Don't 'hey, Win' me. What the hell is this?" she angrily asked as she showed him the ring as it rested on her finger.

"Oh…uh, I thought it was pretty obvious."

Winry rolled her eyes at him and continued. "I'm not an idiot, Ed. I know what it is, I just would like to know why it suddenly appeared on my finger!"

"Well…I…uh…put it there," he said slowly, doing his best to avoid eye contact.

"Why?" she asked him with gritted teeth.

"Because…you're my…fiancé…" he said slowly as if the concept of them being engaged was the most obvious thing in the world.

Winry sighed at this, knowing she would have to spell out why she was angry because he really was that dense. "Ed, you can't just stick an engagement ring on my finger while I'm drugged up from medicine and expect me not to freak out a little."

"Well, why not? We've been engaged since the train station. The ring was just a confirmation."

"A confirmation? Ed, you're so stupid sometimes," she said as she put a hand to her head.

"What the hell did I do wrong? I already proposed once, do you want me to do it again?"

"Yes!"

Ed stared back at her in disbelief. "Wait, really? Why?"

"Because, so far all you've done is point at me and scream something about equivalent exchange and then put a diamond ring on my finger while I was asleep. If you're going to do it, get down on one damn knee and do it the right way!" she commanded.

Ed looked at her like she was insane. She stared back at him with a determined look and he knew that she wasn't going to change her mind about this. He sighed and knelt down in front of her bed.

"Here, take it and do what you need to do," she said as she slipped the ring off her finger and handed it back to him. He rolled his eyes at her thinking this whole thing was absolutely ridiculous before taking the ring and holding it up in front of her.

"Will you-"

"Wait, you have to say my name."

He sighed through his teeth and corrected himself. "Winry, will you-"

"Full name," she interrupted yet again.

"Seriously?"

"Do it or I'll say no," she told him with a menacing tone that told Ed she meant business and he better get it right.

"Fine. Winry Rockbell…"

"Yes?" she urged on.

"Will you marry me?" he asked her.

"Hmm, I don't know. It's all so sudden," she said jokingly.

He rolled his eyes yet again. He was beginning to get really frustrated. It was no secret that this was one thing he was very, _very_ bad at and she was not letting him forget it. "Are you really going to make me wait again? Just say yes, dammit!"

Winry gave a soft giggle before she flashed him a warm smile. "You idiot," she said affectionately. "Of course I'll marry you."

"Finally," he said with a blush as he slipped the ring back where it belonged on her finger. He made to stand up from his place on the floor but Winry stopped him with a hand on his arm. Before he could react she grabbed his shirt and pulled him down to her level on the bed. His eyes widened as her lips gently met his. He blushed even more before his eyes closed as the sensation of kissing Winry Rockbell for the first time sunk in.

God, she was incredible.

She slowly pulled back after a few moments and smiled that smile that had had him hooked ever since they were kids. He smiled genuinely in return as they sat on her bed, drinking in the moment.

"So, we're getting married," Winry said suddenly, breaking the comfortable silence.

"Yeah."

"Well, I will say that you did one thing right with all this."

"What?" he asked in confusion.

"You picked out one hell of a ring. It's beautiful," she said as she raised her hand up so that the light hit the diamond just right and made it sparkle.

"You like it?"

"I love it, Ed. I'm surprised you even had the money to afford it."

"Eh, I still have some money stored away from my state alchemist days. Plus, Mustang is funding my travels so that I can share my research with the military."

"Can't get away from them can you?"

"Nope. And I probably never will."

Winry laughed lightly at that. The cloud nine feeling she had right now made all the stress of her upcoming wedding go away. She would enjoy this feeling for now before the planning made her want to pull her hair out.

"What?" he asked, noticing her smile.

"Oh, nothing. Just reveling in the fact that I'm officially a betrothed woman now."

"Hell yeah you are," he said with a cocky smile.

"Oh! I need to show Granny the ring," she said as she came to the realization. She quickly made to get out of bed until she remembered that she had been sick as a wave of nausea hit her. She sat back down and put a hand to her head.

"Are you okay?" Ed asked with concern.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just forgot for a minute there that I don't feel well. Can you get Granny to come up here?"

"Sure."

When Ed came back with her grandmother in tow, she proudly displayed the ring that Pinako knew Ed had bought.

"Wow, pipsqueak, you did a pretty good job," she said as she admired her future grandson-in-law's purchase.

"I know, right?" Winry said with a feminine giggle. After the initial shock and anger at having woken up wearing an engagement ring, she found that she couldn't stop from looking at the ring and bragging about it. Ed was pleased at this, to say the least.

"So, I guess once Winry's better again, we'll get started on the wedding planning," Pinako said.

"Wedding planning? Is it really going to take that much work?" Ed asked.

"Large weddings don't just happen, Ed," Pinako chastised.

"Yeah, but, we don't want a big wedding, right Win?"

"Yeah. I mean, I haven't really given it much thought, but I never really did see myself having this big to do. A simple ceremony and reception here in Resembool would be nice."

Pinako laughed at this. "Oh you kids really are ignorant sometimes, aren't you? Do you really think you'll be able to get away with a small country wedding with everyone you've met and befriended over the years? You two have too many people in your lives that would be devastated if they weren't invited to your wedding to be able to do something that small."

Winry thought about this and realized that her grandmother was right. Considering all the people in the military and those that Ed and Al had befriended on their journey and all of her customers and friends from Rush valley, there would have to be a large wedding or lots of people would feel left out.

"Oh god, you're right. We can't possibly have a wedding like that here. We'll have to have it in Central so everyone can come."

"Seriously? We don't have to invite everyone. I could care less if Colonel Bastard and his posse came."

"Come on, Ed. You have to invite Mustang and all of his people. And then there's Ling and May, Mrs. Hughes and Elicia, Paninya and Mr. Garfiel, and even Dr. Marcoh! We can't leave these people out of our wedding after all they've done for us."

Ed sighed and answered, "Yeah, I guess you're right. Dammit, I was really hoping it wasn't going to be a big party."

"You kids are stuck with a big party whether you like it or not. That's what happens when you make lots of friends."

"Planning this is going to be really hard," Winry said, her engagement high slowly falling as her mind reeled from all the things that needed to be done. Ed noticed this and, in an uncharacteristic show of affection, sat down next to her on the bed and wrapped his arm around her.

"It'll be fine, Win. We can do this. And then, after it's all said and done, we'll be Mr. and Mrs. Elric and it'll be great."

Winry smiled at her fiancé's reassurance, but a small part of her was still terrified of what was to come.


	3. Chapter 3

**Okay so this took longer to get out than I was expecting but I'm glad I finally finished it. Part of the delay came from another idea for a fic that has attacked me and won't let me go. I have the first chapter up on my tumblr (link in profile) but I think I'll post it here soon. Hope you guys like this chapter!**

"Do you have to leave so soon?" Winry asked sadly as she stood on the Resembool train station platform. Despite the necessity of getting a head start on the wedding planning, Pinako had let the happy couple enjoy being engaged for a week while Ed was home from his travels. But the week had come to an end and now it was time to say goodbye again.

"I told you, Win, I need to get back there so I can get as much research in as I can before the wedding. Would you rather me be gone now or after we're married?" Ed asked his fiancé. He hated leaving her just as much as she hated watching him leave, especially when he saw how sad she looked, but he knew that this was what he had to do right now and he needed to stick with it no matter how tempting staying in Resembool would be.

"I know, it's just we finally made everything official and now I have to say goodbye and plan a wedding all on my own."

"You can do it, Win. The Winry Rockbell I know wouldn't back down from a challenge," he told her with a confident smirk which she returned with a weak smile.

"Promise me you'll come home soon?" she pleaded with her eyes as she shyly met his gaze.

"I'll do my best," he said, trying to be as truthful as he could be. He didn't know how long he would be in the West, but he hoped his schedule would allow for him to come home and see her every so often. His heart ached when the sound of the train whistle told him it was time to leave.

His cheeks began to tinge red when he realized that she probably expected a goodbye kiss or some other show of affection, both of which were things he was not very good at doing. Fortunately, his future wife was willing to help him out.

She quickly wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him long and hard there on the train platform for everyone to see. Ed blushed at her forwardness but then melted into the kiss as Winry's soft lips moved against his. A few passerbys at the small station smiled and shook their heads at the couple. The news of the engagement of two of Resembool's more famous residents spread like wildfire in the small town. Everyone was happy that the former state alchemist had finally gotten the courage to propose to his longtime friend, a marriage that everyone had seen coming since they were both kids.

Winry eventually was forced to part from Ed. She broke their kiss and gave him one last reassuring smile and squeezed his hand. He smiled back and picked up his suitcase. As he got onto the train, he glanced back one final time and gave his best friend and fiancé a small wave. She waved back as the train began to move and then he was gone.

She sighed as she watched the train fade into the horizon. She walked home with a gloomy demeanor, knowing that she was going home to a mountain of work and the beginnings of what she knew was going to be a stressful wedding to plan.

"So, did the pipsqueak get off okay?" her grandmother asked her when she heard Winry enter the house.

"Yeah," Winry said with a deep sigh as she plopped down onto the chair facing her granny.

"Don't be so down, Winry. He'll be back," Pinako told her granddaughter with a knowing smile. Just watching Winry and the little Elric twerp be together made her happier than she could even describe. Winry's sadness at his absence was kind of sweet, in a way.

"I know. I just miss him," she said.

"Well I know just the way to pass the time while he's gone," Pinako suggested as she tapped her pipe on the automail leg she was working on.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. Time to get back to work," Winry said as she got up to go change into her work overalls.

"Hey, Winry," Pinako called, stopping her granddaughter from going up the stairs.

"Yeah?"

"Stop acting so depressed. The excitement from the engagement may be over but now you get to look forward to the real fun part. You're going to be married to Ed soon. Isn't that worth getting excited about?"

Winry smiled at her grandmother's words. She always knew what to say to cheer her up. "Yeah, you're right, Granny. Thanks."

"Of course. Now get your butt back to work."

"You got it!"

* * *

Ed got off the train at the busy station in Central with a contented sigh of relief. His train to Creta wouldn't leave until the next day so he had some time to kill while he waited. Despite how much he tried to avoid it, he knew he would have to go to Central headquarters to check in with Brigadier General Mustang.

His absolute _favorite _person.

He hailed a cab to take him to the familiar central area of the bustling city. When he arrived, he was greeted by an officer from the military that led him to a newer part of the building. This must be where the bastard's upgraded office was.

He reluctantly entered the room once the officer had knocked and Mustang beckoned him in. It had been awhile since he had last seen the Flame Alchemist but he looked the same as he always had sitting behind his desk, his chin resting on his folded hands and giving Ed that god-awful smirk he was so used to seeing.

Ed had to try really hard to resist the temptation to roll his eyes when he walked through the door.

"Ah, Fullmetal. Long time no see," Mustang said once Ed entered and the door was closed behind him. Lieutenant Hawkeye maintained her familiar post beside her superior. Everything about the situation made Ed feel like he was fifteen again.

"Why do you still insist on calling me that, Mustang?"

"Because you will forever and always be the Fullmetal Alchemist in my eyes, alchemy and title or not."

"That makes literally no sense, Colonel Bastard."

"It's Brigadier General now, Fullmetal. Don't forget your place."

"Oh, I'm sorry. That makes literally no sense, _Brigadier General_ Bastard," Ed said with a sarcastic smirk. Mustang narrowed his eyes at him. Ed was shocked that he caught the faintest hint of a smile on the Lieutenant's face.

"You know, Ed, sometimes I feel like you've matured well beyond your years and then you say something like that and I remember just how much of a child you really are."

"Hey, this child is further ahead in his life than you seem to be, Mustang."

"What do you mean by that?"

"I'm engaged now. Did you know that, Mustang? How close are _you_ to finding a wife, hm?" Ed answered back smugly.

Mustang raised an eyebrow at that. "Really? You finally settling down with that mechanic chick you were so in love with back when you were a state alchemist?"

Ed couldn't help the blush that crept up on his face at that. "Her name is Winry and yes, we're getting married."

"Wow. Congratulations, Fullmetal. I didn't think you'd have it in you to actually ask her."

"Well, I did. And meanwhile you sit here without a wife, not knowing what's right underneath your nose."

"And just what do you mean by that, Fullmetal?" Mustang asked menacingly.

Ed watched in amusement as Hawkeye sent him a pointed glare. It was funny how oblivious the two of them were. He didn't want to push their buttons anymore, though, because he was very aware of the kind of artillery the lieutenant possessed and he was not pushing his luck with her.

"Oh, nothing," he said with a smirk.

Eventually they got to talking about the research Ed was doing in the West. Despite his initial distaste for the idea, he had agreed to work with the military during his travels. That way, the military had access to everything he learned and, in return, all of his travel expenses were paid for in full, a perk that Ed took advantage of way too often. He wasn't going to tell Mustang that Winry's engagement ring had come out of the military's pocketbook.

"And when are you heading back out?" Mustang asked.

"Tomorrow. Train leaves in the morning so I'll be able to get to Creta by late tomorrow evening."

"Good. Make sure you send frequent memos to Central so we know where you are. Can't have you running all over Creta spending the military's money."

"Oh, yeah. Wouldn't want that," Ed said with a sly smirk.

"One last thing, Fullmetal."

"What's that?"

"We need to know the date of your wedding."

Ed sputtered at the question. "Why the hell would you care about that?"

"Well, for two reasons. We need to know your research schedule as far ahead of time as possible and I imagine that getting married will slow your travels quite a bit."

"Yeah, I guess. What's the second reason?"

"I need to know what days I need to take off from work," Mustang answered with a sly smile.

"And what the hell makes you think you're invited?"

"Oh, Fullmetal. I know you've already had this conversation with your fiancé. I'm invited, along with practically half the military. We'll need to know the day so we can arrange our schedules."

Ed huffed at that. He hated that Mustang was right, but it was true. There were so many people in the military that would have to be invited that he knew they would need to know ahead of time when the wedding was. The planning for this thing was already giving him a headache. He wondered if his initial plan to run off with Winry and elope was still a valid option.

"Fine. I don't know the date yet but I'll let you know."

"Good. And I'll be sure to share the good news with the rest of the military."

"Do you really have to do that?" Ed asked, thoroughly irritated and ready to get this meeting over with.

"Of course. Everyone will be delighted to hear that our young Fullmetal Alchemist is getting married."

"I'm sure they will," Ed said through gritted teeth. The military's obsession with him had long since gotten old.

Ed finally left Mustang's office, to his relief. The bastard had made him think about a lot of the small details that went into the wedding. He felt bad that he was leaving Winry to deal with a lot of this stuff, but he really did have to go to the West. He would go even crazier if he was left to sit around and think about all this stuff in Resembool day in and day out.

Plus, he had to rack up as much money as possible from his research before he got married and he had to start worrying about another big issue in his life.

Finding a job.

**So, now some of the specifics are coming around and our little lovebirds are beginning to realize how much work is ahead of them ;) I hope you guys like the chapter! Let me know what you think and be looking out for my new story!**


	4. Chapter 4

Winry lazily flipped through a brochure for a Central bakery as she sat at the table in the kitchen having just finished her dinner. As her grandmother washed the last of the dishes, Winry perused through a listing of several different kinds of wedding cakes made in all different shapes and sizes.

It had been almost a week since she had seen her fiancé off at the train station. He had called her a few days before to let her know that he had arrived in Creta safely and that he would promise to write to her as soon as he could. She was skeptical about that claim knowing just how bad Ed was at written communication, but she held onto the hope that he would keep his promise.

Already she was becoming overwhelmed by the sheer magnitude of the amount of work that was ahead of her. Thanks to the help of a local friend, the newly engaged woman had acquired a whole box of pamphelts, brochures, and magazines detailing cakes, catering, dresses, flowers, and everything Winry could possibly think would need to be planned for the wedding. She hadn't even gone through a quarter of the material she had been presented with and already she had innumerable options for every little wedding detail.

Her and her grandmother had made it their plan to sit down and sift through all of the wedding stuff after dinner each night and try and organize everything. They were still trying to decide on a date and had made a few phone calls to venues in Central but that was about the extent of the decisions that had already been made. Winry was beginning to see that this would take _ages_ to complete. She wondered if she was ever going to get married at this rate.

"See anything you like?" Pinako asked her granddaughter as she grabbed a pamphlet for a florist and began to peruse through their listings of flower arrangements.

"I don't know. It's all so extravagant. I just want a simple wedding. I know it has to be big, but that doesn't mean we have to get a towering cake and enourmous flower arrangements."

"True. But you also have to remember you're going to have a large space to decorate and lots of guests to feed. Even if you want everything to be simple, there still has to be a lot of it."

"Yeah, I guess you're right. Did the people from that one venue call you back?"

"No, not yet. I don't expect they'll get back to us any time soon. From what I've read, that place is booked for years."

"So that's a no?"

"Afraid so."

"Ugh, how are we supposed to book a venue when all the nice, big ones are so hard to get?" Winry sighed exasperatedly. This was beginning to get really old, really fast.

Before Pinako could reassure her granddaughter that they would find a place, there was a loud knock on the door. Winry was curious as to who could possibly be at their home this late since all of their customers had appointments during the day. She got up out of her seat and walked to the front door. When she opened it, she was greeted by the biggest bouquet of flowers she had ever seen. A young man was holding them and looked to be struggling to not drop them. Seeing this, Winry quickly let him inside so he could place them on the table.

"Ms. Rockbell, I presume?" the young man asked, quite a bit out of breath.

"Um, yeah."

"These are for you. Courtesy of the Armstrong family."

"Armstrong? As in Major Armstrong?" Winry asked, in total disbelief that a man she had only talked with a few times would send her such an extravagant gift.

"Yes, and his whole family. Here, this is also for you," the delivery boy said as he handed Winry a letter. She thanked him and gave him a generous tip for what looked to be a rather difficult delivery and bid him a goodnight. Once he left, Winry opened the letter.

_Dear Ms. Winry,_

_CONGRATULATIONS! My family and I were absolutely delighted to hear of your engagement to Edward Elric. The love you two share is truly magical and it has been so wonderful to watch the both of you as you grow in it. _

_Take these flowers as an engagement gift. In addition to that, the Armstrong family is happy to offer you our home to hold the ceremony and reception. Our large estate would be the perfect place to eternally join yourself with Edward and we'd be delighted to host. _

_Whenever you get the chance, come to Central and visit the estate so you can work out the details with my family and I. We'd be so happy to have you! _

_ Congratulations once again and I look forward to seeing you soon_

_ Sincerely,_

_ Major Alex Louis Armstrong_

"Oh my god," Winry stated simply after reading the letter from the eclectic military man.

"What does it say?" Pinako asked. Winry couldn't even answer her as the words she had just read sank in. She handed her grandmother the letter so that she could read it and waited as Pinako's eyes scanned across the paper.

"Well?" Winry asked when her grandmother had finished.

"That man is sure an interesting one. Well, at least we now have the venue out of the way," she answered nonchalantly as she set the letter down and went back to perusing the pamphlets and brochures.

"That's it? Some random guy from the military offers up his family's estate to us for the wedding and that's all you have to say?" Winry asked in disbelief. She was still having a hard time processing everything.

"Major Armstrong is not some random guy from the military, Winry. _You _may not know him very well, but he spent a lot of time with Ed and Al. His sister did too as I recall. If he and his family want to host the wedding at their estate, I say you let them. Sounds like the perfect place to me."

"Yeah, but don't you think it's kind of random? I mean if we had asked I'm sure they would've said yes but why would they just offer to host like it's no big deal?"

"Honestly, from what I've heard about the Armstrong's, this doesn't surprise me at all. They tend to be a very showy family."

"Yeah, no kidding. I guess I'm just a little shocked that they would do something like that for us."

"The Major adores you and Ed. You shouldn't be so surprised. Now do you want your wedding at their home or not?"

"I don't know. I guess I do. Although I would like to take a look around the place before I decide."

"Well, then call them up and arrange a trip to Central. I'm sure the rest of the family would love to meet and talk to you. And I know the Major would be thrilled."

"Yeah, you're right. I guess this is a good thing. And while I'm in Central, I can stop by and tell Mrs. Hughes the good news. It's been so long since I've seen everybody."

"I'm sure you'll have a wonderful time. Now will help me look through all this stuff?"

* * *

"Wait, are you serious?" Ed asked incredulously as he took in what his fiancé just told him over the phone. When he had decided to call her that day, he wasn't expecting Granny Pinako to tell him that Winry was in Central or that when he finally tracked her down at her hotel, she would tell him about the Armstrong's offer.

"Yeah, can you believe it? I have plans to meet with the Major and his family tomorrow so I can look around and see if I like the place. I've heard it's huge."

"Why the hell would the Armstrong's even offer it to us in the first place?"

"You got me. Apparently Major Armstrong took quite the liking to you and Al and was, from what I heard, almost to tears when he found out about the engagement."

"That damn colonel. I knew I shouldn't have let him tell everyone."

"This could be a good thing, Ed. We could have our wedding at a beautiful estate for free instead of having to stress over booking a place for real cheap. You know we don't have a lot of money to put into this thing."

"Yeah, I know. Still, something tells me that if you agree to this, they're going to be all over it. I wouldn't be surprised if they already have the whole damn thing planned out."

"It'll be fine, Ed. I can handle this. I just thought you should know so that you can thank the Major next time you see him."

"Yeah, right," Ed answered with a scoff. The idea of having his wedding at that insane man's home made him uneasy. He just knew that if they did get married there, everyone would have to show up with a coil in their hair or something.

"Don't worry, I'll figure it out. Try and call me again tomorrow so I can tell you how it went," Winry reminded him. She wished she could be the one to call him, but since Ed moved around so much when he traveled, she never knew where to reach him.

"Yeah, I will."

"So, was there any reason in particular you called?" she asked him. When she answered the phone he had immediately asked her why she was in Central so she hadn't been able to talk with him about anything else yet.

"Oh, um, no not really. I guess I just wanted to see how you were. I know how much you like it when I call," Ed told her. She could practically see the adorable blush that she knew was coloring his cheeks right now. She didn't know why it always made him so flustered when they talked and acted like a couple, but she loved it nonetheless.

"Yes, I'm happy that you're actually making an effort to talk to me when you're away now. Before, it was a miracle every time you called me."

"Yeah, yeah. I know I'm bad at that, okay? At least I'm getting better."

"Yes, you are. To answer your question, I've been doing okay. All the wedding stuff is making me want to pull my hair out, though. You wouldn't believe all the things that need to get done."

"Eh, you'll be fine. You're amazing when it comes to stuff like that. I know you'll do a great job."

Winry smiled at his encouragement. Ed always had so much faith in her that she mostly believed she was undeserving of. Still, he never stopped believing in her and she loved him for that.

"Yeah," she said quietly. She bit her lip, debating on whether or not she should say this, but she couldn't keep it in any longer. "Hey, Ed?"

"Yeah?"

"I miss you," she told him affectionately.

"Oh…uh…I, um, miss you too, I guess." Winry rolled her eyes at his hesitation at actually expressing his feelings toward her.

"You're such an idiot."

"Yeah, well, you're stuck with this idiot forever so you better get used to it."

Winry laughed at that. Ed, without failure, could always cheer her up. "I love you, Ed."

There was a brief silence on the other end as Ed no doubt was taking in what she had just said. They had never said out loud that they loved each other, though it was well understood. She wondered if he would even have the guts to say it back.

"I love you too, Win," he told her suddenly, breaking the silence. Her cheeks turned red and she smiled as she replayed his words over in her head. He loved her, she loved him, and, pretty soon, they were getting married. She couldn't even contain the happiness that was bursting forth at that thought.

"Hey, listen Win, I have to go, but I'll call you tomorrow to see how everything goes, okay?"

"Yeah, sounds good. Talk to you later."

"Bye," he said before she heard the sound of the phone being abruptly hung up. That was Ed, always so straightforward with everything. Even though she was sad he wasn't there with her and she couldn't talk with him longer, she was overjoyed at the prospect of marrying the big dork, especially after he finally told her that he loved her.

She couldn't remember when she had gotten this sappy.

When she went back to her hotel room, she laid out a nice outfit for her meeting with the Armstrong's the next day and looked through more of the wedding material that she had brought with her. Since she was in Central for a few days, she figured she would visit and personally talk with some of the bakeries and florists in the city to see what they offered.

She fell asleep that night thinking of flowers, cakes, flowing dresses, and, most importantly, of the day when she would finally marry her best friend.

**Oh these cuties have absolutely ruined my life. I love writing sappy and adorable scenes for them :) Let me know what you thought!**


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